Landing Gear – Brian’s Story

On September 4th, 2009, Brian Kinney from Columbus Ohio became paralyzed from the chest down, (T1 complete) spinal cord injury, in a motorcycle accident after a car ran him off road sending him head first into a tree.

?My life has forever changed but thanks to a Shoei helmet, I still have my mind…something I couldn’t live with out in this condition.?

Brian Discovers Lee Beaver – Return to the Bike

After the injury, Brian discovered Lee Beaver on Youtube, who is also a paraplegic and uses Firgelli Automation actuators to create unique custom motorcycle landing gear kits for paralyzed riders.

The landing gear kit helps stabilize the bike as it comes to a stop. Lee invented the landing gear after he became paralyzed from the waist down in an off track motorcycle race when he was 17. He used his passion for racing to overcome his situation and build a product to help him and others, like Brian, who have lost the use of their legs return to riding.

Lee Beaver’s Video

The Lee Beaver Landing Gear incorporates a switch on the right handlebar to operate a Linear Actuator which raises and lowers the landing gear (Mechanical Legs).

Brian says it is unbelievably stable. Once he is rolling, he hits the switch on the right hand control and the Landing Gear raises.

Everyone was amazed that only 4 months after Brian’s accident, he was back at work and driving again. His love for riding never faded after his accident and his goal was to get back on his bike.

Brian modified the same bike he was riding when had the accident, his 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 650 R, to enable him to ride again.

Brian installed an electric 2 button switch on the left handlebar to operate an electric shift solenoid, which shifts the motorcycle gears up and down. Brian welded a bracket inside the swing arm to allow the solenoid to be mounted behind the faring out of the way of his left foot, rather than mounting it externally as in most cases. The rear brake is activated using the thumb on his left hand.

Foot Pegs were replaced with Running Boards covered with grip tape, and velcro leg straps were necessary to keep his knee against the fuel tank. Brian also installed handlebar risers, to create a touring upright position, to reduce shoulder and arm pain and fitted mirror extenders.

How it Works

Riding with Landing Gear – Experience the Freedom

Brian’s other videos:

Other Example Videos

I hope you have enjoyed Brian’s story and that it has inspired you to get back on your bike. Thank you for supporting Ability Motorcycles and please tell other people about this website to raise disability awareness.

Together we can make this an accessible world.

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The Ability Motorcycles website was created to enable the sharing of information and projects to benefit others. We do not sell motorcycles. If you believe this world should not exclude anyone, and you love motorbikes, then Ability Motorcycles is the place to share that passion.

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6 thoughts on “Landing Gear – Brian’s Story”

Where can we buy this landing gear for motorbike please? – my brother needs this on his motorbike – used to race IOM and track but lost his leg to bone cancer – desperately wants to get back on his bike and I showed him Brian’s video. His eyes light up and he was choked to think it’s possible to ride again. I want to get this for him

Really awesome. This guy is truly genius and so strong and motivated that he did not give up. Most of us are blessed with a lot more and have all parts of the body functioning still give up everyday, I guess we should learn from Brian. Thank you for sharing Brian’s story and giving me so much inspiration.

Hi Ramandeep, you are absolutely correct, Brian shows us that nothing is impossible if we put our heart and soul into it. We can all learn something from Brian and hopefully his story will remind other riders of the importance of a helmet. I am glad you were inspired by his story. Have an awesome day. Dave

If you believe motorcycles make this world a better place, and you love motorbikes, then you need to visit Haul N Ride.

Disclaimer

If there is a link on here, assume I am going to benefit if you click on it or buy a product. Everything on here is my opinion based on my experience. If you plan on modifying a motorcycle, I recommend you seek qualified engineers for advice, building and testing.